Lionheart
by alpacas4ever
Summary: What would have happened if Snape had been sorted into Gryffindor. From fluff to angst and everything in between.
1. The Marauders

"And who are you then?"

"Mmmf?!"Severus rolled over, alarmed, to address the boy who had just prodded him in the back. He was tired, and his eyes were blurry, but Severus could just barely make out a pale face, surrounded by a swath of messy black hair.

"Well, I mean, I obviously heard your name, when you were sorted into Gryffindor and everything, but I really want to know who you _are_. Like, outside of school."

Severus slowly sat up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, and became of very aware of the fact that there were 3 other people sitting around his bed. One, slouching and grimacing as if waiting to be slapped, another who looked as if he had been slapped quite recently and didn't seem to care, and a third, who, at first glance, seemed completely normal, until one noticed the large bags under his eyes and the three identical scars across his face.

" - I _asked_ were are you from?"

Severus was startled back into gazing forward as he realized the boy who had first woken him up was now kneeling at his side and squinting directly into his face.

"D'you think he's deaf?" The cringing boy muttered. His voice came out high and squeaky.

"Obviously not," said the boy next to him, confidence ringing through the air in his even tone, even as he whispered. "I saw him talking to that red haired girl earlier."

"Well, yeah," the Squeaker responded defensively "But he hasn't talked to _us_, has he?"

At this the third, scarred intruder cut between the two, and though his voice was quiet, it had an authority to it that made the first two fall silent once more. "That would be because we haven't given him a _chance_ yet." He nodded at the boy kneeling next to Severus. "Go ahead James."

James nodded back and turned back towards Severus. "Great. Now go ahead. Start with your name."

Severus stared blankly at them.

The confidant boy who had spoken before cocked his head to the side. "You know what Peter, you may be right." He crawled up the bed until he was kneeling next to James, with Severus between them.

"_Heeelllllloooooo..._" He said, loudy, and directly in Severus's ear. "_Caaaannnn yoooouuu heeaar meeeeeeeeee?_"

Severus blinked, and finally found enough voice to say, "Of course I can hear you. Idiot."

The idiot blinked once. Twice. A third time. His companions were completely silent.

Severus barely contained a grimace and berated himself internally for being so clumsy. He had never been good at making friends. The closest thing he had to a freind he had was _Her,_ but he could never be satisfied with that relationship because they would always be just that. Friends.

_Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! Barely even night _one_ and you're already making enemies. Here you are, new chance, and you immediately make some new ones…How could you be so-_

"Heh."

Severus was startled out his mental scolding by what sounded like a snort of laughter from James.

"Heh heh."

There it was again.

Wait. No.

This one was from the Idiot.

It was barely a moment before all four of his intruders were guffawing loudly, slapping each other on the back.

"No, seriously," said Idiot. "What's your name?" He then turned back to the kid with the scar. "Geddit Remus? _Seriously?_"

Remus sighed. "Oh ha-ha."

They all went back to staring at Severus.

"Uh...Oh!" Severus stuttered. "Ah... My name's Severus. Severus Snape."

James grinned. "Brilliant."

Severus blinked.

Remus snorted a little. "Yeah. Brilliant. Much better than the one _we_ gave you."

Severus cocked his head to the side curiously. "And what's that?"

Now the intruders blinked.

It was a moment until Idiot leaned back and said, with a huge grin on his face;

"Greasy-Haired-Snoring-Git."

**Aaaaaannnnnnd they're friends. Yay!**

**There you go. The product of my mind. Sorry it was so short but I like it. Do you?**

**Please tell if you do. **

**I'll give you a cookie?**

**Please?**


	2. The Sorting

Severus tossed and turned in his bed, mulling over the events of the day. When he first got into his new dorm, he had been so exhausted that he had barely had time to change into his sleeping clothes before he was in bed, and asleep.

But after the Marauders had showed up (because that _was_ what they called themselves), and declared him as one of their own, he was filled with such a nervous energy that he found it increasingly hard to sleep. So he lay on his side, thinking happily of the day to come.

Tomorrow he started _Wizarding School_. Tomorrow he learned how to be _magic_.

As a Gryffindor.

Severus rolled over and sighed. Mum would be so disappointed. Then again. She was always disappointed.

And, frankly, he found he quite _liked_ Gryffindor.

These Marauder people weren't all that bad. He was _one_ of them now. Might as well enjoy it.

But still.

He couldn't shake that feeling.

He hadn't been chosen.

He'd _chose_.

He remembered the sorting from earlier that evening. That gut wrenching pain when _She_ was chosen for Gryffindor.

It hadn't been right. They were supposed to be _together_ in Slytherin. He'd had to hold back tears that were threatening to spill, in front of the whole hall. Thankfully, his self-consciousness spared him the misfortune.

He remembered the Idiot (apparently his actual name was Sirius, but it didn't matter. Idiot suited him), being chosen, and the deafening silence before the even more deafening applause from the Gryffindor table, during which, his name was called.

He walked up on stage.

And all he could think of was Lilly.

Lilly this, Lilly that. How is Lilly? What's new with Lilly? Need to be with Lilly.

The moment the sorting hat was placed on his head, he feel the presence prodding at his mind.

_Hmmmm_…. It had said, its voice echoing in Severus's head. …_Lilly Evans….. Pretty strong Gryffindor right there….. Easy pick….. Not like you….._

_She is my friend._ Severus had thought back.

The sorting hat chuckled.

_A little more than friend I'd say…._

Severus's eyes had widened, mortified that Lilly had heard.

_Don't worry….. They can't hear me…_

Severus sighed and relaxed as far as he could, the wooden stool that he was sitting on had no back, and so Severus was forced to perch upon the edge like some dark vulture.

The sorting hat prodded in his head. It felt as though someone was poking his brain with a giant stick.

_Would you stop that!?_ The boy thought loudly.

The Hat stopped. Severus could feel it freeze in its place.

_…__you can feel that….._

_Yes._ Severus snapped. _Of course I can feel it. It's incredibly uncomfortable. Now stop._

The Hat hummed.

_A talent for occlumancy…. You could be great…. Powerful….a Slytherin… _

Severus smiled fiercely, feeling something rise up in him. Finally! A Slytherin! He could show everyone! The world would worship his name! It was everything he needed and- wait. No. It wasn't everything.

The Hat sighed.

_And now back to Lilly….. Interesting…._

_Yes._ Severus thought. _Lilly is my friend. Put me with Lilly. _

_…__Are you sure? _The Hat asked.

_Yes. I am sure. Put me with Lilly._

_With Lilly…with Lilly…with Lilly… with Lilly…_

_Alright….._The Hat thought. _Better be…_

"GRIFFINDOR!"

…

And that was all he remembered. There was of course sitting down in the great hall along with all the Gryffindors, and Lilly's excited chatter about how "wonderful, we're together! Don't you think its wonderful, Sev?" And all Severus could do was stare at her blankly and nod.

_You have no idea_.

Yes. Severus was a Gryffindor now, and he didn't regret a thing.

**Alrighty my dear friends! I hope you ever so enjoyed! **

**I like the idea of Sirius's sorting being some huge scandal at Hogwarts. Can't you imagine all the Gryffindors being like "Nya Nya We got a Black!"**

**That might become a one-shot later. We shall see….**

**Anyway, my thanks to coliveira and Remy Koda for reviewing! It really helped me get the ball rolling on this new chapter, and put a huge smile on my face! :)**

**Please leave me a review telling me if you liked it, favorite it if you did, and I look forward to our next meeting!**


	3. Potions Class

Of all of his classes, Severus liked potions the best.

Charms got on his nerves a bit. The one benefit to the class was that Lily loved it, and he got to sit between her and Remus. The combination of watching Lily bubble over with joy and having conversations that didn't make him feel like an utter failure might have made it his favorite class, except that there was the actual _subject_ to worry about.

James was brilliant at transfiguration, and though Severus supposed he was happy enough in the class, he was originally to be a Slytherin, and could not shake off the annoyance of being out-shined. After all, his rat was _almost_ alive.

And History of Magic was, well, History of Magic.

But potions….. Ah….. In potions.

Severus felt at home in the dungeon. The stone floors were soft and smooth after years of students feet, slowly wearing away. Small bits of sunlight filtered in through small windows, softly illuminating bottles upon bottles of mysterious mixtures and remedies. The only sound that could be heard was the soft shuffling of feet, and everything was overlaid with the smell of parchment, and an earthy aroma, reminiscent of the world, just after a spring rain.

It smelled like home.

Not like _his_ home, which was loud and rough, and smelled of smoke and alcohol, but of his _home_.

Dark and sweet, and comforting in a cool, enclosed way.

"Creepy, isn't it?"

A voice sounded right in his ear and Severus jumped, turning to see James standing behind him.

Severus shrugged, used to being startled out of his thoughts. "I actually like it…. It's…." He floundered for a word as he and James moved to adjacent desks, making sure to place various belongings on desks near them to save seats for the others.

James raised an eyebrow. "Whatever floats your strange, uncontrollable boat…"

Severus snorted, flipping open the potions book, and settled down, waiting for his friends to arrive, and for the class to begin.

Granted, he already knew most of the class material, having read the textbook a couple of times at home, when he was left with nothing better to do, or when Lily was busy, and so found his mind wandering.

He'd been at Hogwarts for a while now, about two months, and he quite enjoyed it. The Marauders were friendly enough, and he got to see Lily _every day_. He was slowly coming used to the fact that he was indeed a Gryffindor, and beginning to notice some of the failings in Slytherin (besides the uncontrollable lust for power).

One thing particularly, unsettled him. The head boy, Tom…. He seemed a little…. Odd. There was something about him that both enticed and sickened Severus. He had power, that was for sure, but every time Severus walked by him on the way to class, or saw him in the great hall, he was hit with the hugest feeling of hate he had ever experienced. It wasn't directed at him, he didn't know who it was directed at, but it was there, and it was potent.

Severus had talked to Professor McGonagall about his ability to feel other's emotions almost a week into school. She had called it Occlumancy, same as the hat. She had also said that eventually it might progress to the point that Severus could _read_ minds.

As of now, he only caught the largest surges of emotions, like getting a whiff of food from a passing kitchen.

And whatever Riddle was cooking up, it smelled _foul_.

Severus glanced up out of his book at the entrance of Lily, accompanied by Remus and Sirius. For she was very clearly being _accompanied_. Last year, there had been a bunch of attacks on muggleborns. A girl had died. One kid was expelled, but the killer was never found, and Lily was very much a muggleborn. Sure, they were laughing and talking, but Remus and Sirius were very clearly placed on either side of Lily, shielding her. Severus was glad they were there to protect her.

James waved them over and they took their seats in front of the two, saying their quiet hellos as Peter trailed in behind them.

Severus had to restrain himself from grimacing as the fourth boy trailed in. He had nothing against Peter, but their minds often brushed, and whenever they did, Severus could feel the bad mix of insecurity and nervousness rattling around in Peter's head. It made The Occlumence slightly queasy.

But Peter picked the seat left of James and furthest away from Severus, and Severus managed a mumbled hello before Slughorn cleared his throat loudly and began the lesson.

**Okay friends! I hope you enjoyed! I know that the writing style changed a little bit in this chapter, but I figured that Snape isn't as sleepy anymore, and therefore thinks a little differently. Random Note: In this chapter, Sev kinda reminds me of BBC's Sherlock. Just a bit. Is this just me?!**

**Anyway, sorry for the huge space between updates, but until summer well and truly begins, I'm probably only gonna be able to write on the weekends. **

**Moving onto….. REVIEW RESPONSE! (Cue theme music)**

**PoemWhisper: Thank you!**

**NatheRiver: We shall see…. And thanks!**

**The mysterious visitor with no username: Sorry…. Did I not present Sirius as present? Well he's here! And meh… I don't really like Peter. He annoys me…..**

**Dandelion: Pardon me…. Here you are ~ [::] ~ A delicious cookie just for you. ;) I hope this chapter fixed some of the mistakes you pointed out….. **

**As always, thank you for reviewing, please favorite, follow, and review again if you enjoyed, and I hope to see you again soon! **


	4. Christmas

It was Christmas morning.

Severus sighed and rolled over, pressing his face into the pillow. Around him he could hear the sounds of the other Gryffindors rustling out of their beds and murmuring excitedly about what their parents might have got them.

He huffed a little again and rolled back over, preferring the uncomfortable warmth for his pillow to listening to children whose parents actually _cared_.

From his window he could see little flakes of snow, spiraling morosely towards the ground.

Christmas was never a particularly happy time for Severus. Especially at home.

If he was lucky, he could wake up early, steal a couple pounds off of his Mother's dresser, and leave to go get himself breakfast. Then he could go see Lily.

If he _wasn't_ lucky, his father woke up early, wished him a grumbled "Merry Christmas boy…" and Severus had to leave quickly before he got drunk and started yelling. And _then_ he could go see Lily.

It really didn't differ that much from his normal days.

The only difference was, on Christmas, Lily was always just a little bit happier, and her sister was just pleasant enough that they could all play peacefully until it was time for Severus to go home. Then Lily would give him some of her Christmas candy, and he would wander home eating as much of it as he could before it was inevitably confiscated at the front door.

_"__Can't have you getting fat now, can we boy?"_

This year though, there wasn't a Lily. She had gone home for the break, to see her parents and "Tuney."

There would be no candy this Christmas.

No playing.

In fact, the single positive thing about this Christmas was that Severus could finally stay in bed for as long as he wanted. As long until breakfast, anyway.

So he contented himself with watching the snow from his pillow, imagining that he was a snowflake, as soft as a feather.

Drifting down, down, down, down….. Swirling….Falling…..

…..

"OI JAMES! WE FOUND HIM! THE GREASY HAIRD GIT'S STILL IN BED!"

Severus jumped, promptly propelling himself from his bed, and onto the floor next to it. This was accompanied by a strangled shriek.

Severus raised his head blearily, and swung his gaze towards the doorway where Remus and Sirius leaned nonchalantly against the wall.

Remus raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. "…..Are you ok?"

Severus blinked twice, and shrugged. "…..hmmm? Oh! Yeah….. Great. Just a bit tired is all."

Sirius pushed himself off of the wall and bounced up and down impatiently. "Yeah. Great. Tired…. Get up! Everybody's waiting for you!"

Severus propped himself up onto his elbows and furrowed his brow in confusion. "….Waiting for me?"

Remus walked towards him, hands in his pockets and stared at him, as if wondering what was wrong with him. "Yes. Waiting for you. Christmas, remember? We've all been looking for you for ages. Why aren't you up yet?"

Severus squinted and looked down. "Just….. Not used to Christmas I guess."

Sirius snorted from the doorway. "Yeah. Me neither. My Christmas usually consists of depressing parties and a bunch of old pricks sitting around a fire." He smirked a little. "Not expecting many presents anyway, what with my sorting and all. James though, he got _loads_ of presents. Rich Bastard. You kno-"

"_Thank you_, Sirius, for sharing." Remus interjected. Sirius stuck his tongue out at him. Remus snorted and turned back to Severus. "But Sev, seriously, get up. I want to open my presents, and you've got you some that _you_ probably want to open so…." He motioned towards the door.

Severus gawked at him. "….you all got me _presents_?"

Sirius bounced on his feet again. "Yes, that's what he said! Now let's _get going_ before I tell you what you got!"

Severus didn't move. "But…. I haven't gotten you all anything….."

Sirius made a frustrated noise somewhere between a shout and a sigh. "You can make up for it! Now _GET UP!_"

Severus couldn't help but snicker at Remus's exasperated face at Sirius's actions. Remus, then made a same face at _him_, and he ducked it, still stifling a couple laughs as he untangled his feet from his sheets and stood up. "Okay, okay…. Lead the way."

"_Finally!_"

**Guys I am so sorry for not updating sooner. Kill me if you'd like but first; hear my plea *cringes*….. I was grounded. I'm Sorry…. don't hurt me….. **

**Any who! I hoped you liked the Chapter! I'll admit it, part of me writes this purely because it's fun to write the dynamic between Sirius and Lupin… What can ya do? **

**REVIEW REPLIES! :D**

**Diaanne: Thank you lovely! (I know….. I fixed it though!)**

**Guest (whoever you are): Thank you, and I will. The reviews really help me get motivated. ;)**

**Rainbowspring (nice name btw): Thank you! I'm glad you approve! I'm trying to draw parallels between Harry and Sev, and I wanted them both to ****_choose_**** Gryffindor. **

**I LUV YOU ALL!**


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